Concerned Parents for the Truth
by imaginess
Summary: Hunter's mom gets custody of him at the hearing and takes him home. How does he end up back on Ben and Michael's doorstep, and will he finally come clean about his past? Warnings: harsh language and talk of underage prostitution.


**Concerned Parents for the Truth**

**Author: **imaginess

**Summarry: **Hunter's mom gets custody of him at the hearing and takes him home. How does he end up back on Ben and Michael's doorstep, and will he finally come clean about his past?

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"-therefor the court is willing to give you a second chance, by granting you custody of James."

Mrs. Montgomery looked relieved, and thanks the judge. "I hope you will also give your mother a second chance-" the judge began.

"No way in hell I'm going with her!" Hunter exclaimed as he stood.

The judge raised her eyebrows. "If you don't, young man, I'll be forced to hold you in contempt. This court is adjurned."

They all stood and Mel turned to Ben and Michael. "We did the best we could." she said quietly.

"I told you this would happen." Michael muttered to Ben.

"Jimmy? I-I promise everything's going to be better from now on." Mrs. Montgomery said quietly.

Hunter glanced at Ben and Michael, "Ben, you promised..." Hunter said, sounding hurt.

"I'm sorry, Hunter..." Ben reached out and Hunter let him hug him. "Here. Call if you need anything." Ben handed him a card with his number on it, and Hunter nodded.

"Come on, Jimmy. Let's go home."

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Later that day, Hunter and his mother arrived at the apartment she had been renting. "Go on, your room is on the right." she said, gesturing down the hall.

Hunter went to unpack some of the things that Ben and Michael had bought him, and when he came out again his mother was sitting at the dining table.

"Have a seat, Jimmy." she said, and he pulled out the chair across from her. "So, where have you been all this time?"

Hunter shrugged.

"How long have those fags been housing you?" she asked as she pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

"Ben and Michael have been taking care of me for a few weeks."

She smirked. "How much did they pay?"

"They didn't pay anything. They took me in 'cause they didn't want me on the street-"

"You let them do it for free? I thought I taught you better, Jimmy-" she began, after taking a long drag from her cigarette.

"My name is Hunter!"

She laughed and tapped the cig on the ash tray. "What is that, your pornstar name? Give it a rest, James."

Hunter stood and slammed his hands on the table. "My name isn't James. Hasn't been since I changed it to get away from you! And I don't need you talking shit about the people who were taking care of me just because they're better fucking parents than you could ever dream of being!"

She gasped and stood up so she was eye-level with him. "How dare you say anything about my parenting! I raised you the best I could with what I had!"

Hunter shook his head disbelievingly. "Your son was all you had? You couldn't think of anything better than selling my body w-"

"I didn't force you to do anything! I was feeding you, caring for you, paying bills- And you weren't old enough to get a job to pull your own weight-"

"I was twelve fucking years old! What kind of sick fucker does that to a twelve-year-old kid!" Hunter exclaimed.

His mother put out her cigarette and crossed her arms. "I had to do it! I had no choice! And you didn't exactly protest."

''You had no choice? You were an alcoholic pot-head who was too lazy to get off her fucking ass to work to take care of your own son-"

Hunter stopped when his mother took a swing at him, clocking him across the side of his face. He stumbled away from the table, hunched over and holding his nose.

"You do not talk to me like that, you ungrateful little shit!" She yelled, stepping from behind the table to approach him.

Hunter straightened up, hand still clutched to his face, his nose now seeping blood. "Get away from me." he said, his voice low and threatening.

"What? Scared of me, _Hunter?_" she asked, mocking his name.

Hunter gritted his teeth and glared at her. "You're the one that should be scared. Didn't anyone tell you? I'm HIV positive."

His mother froze and stared at him. "You think this is funny, James?"

Hunter shook his head. "I was diagnosed a few weeks ago."

She took a step away from him and scrunched up her face in disgust. "You catch it from one of those faggots? Huh? Did one of them give it to you?"

Hunter looked confused for a second, still glaring at her, before he lowered his hand away from his face and stared at her in disbelief. "You think-...They didn't do anything to me, Mother, it's because of you I'm like this!"

There was a moment of silence before his mother shook her head and turned away from him. "You can't blame me for everything, James." she said quietly with her back to him.

"Can't blame you for what? Making me into a prostitute when I was twelve? Letting men fuck me without a condom? Not telling me the risks just so you could make a couple hundred every night-"

"That's enough, Jimmy." she said, turning back to face him. She had tears in her eyes, and Hunter smirked at seeing her try to play the victim. "Go to your room. You have school tomorrow and I'm setting up a job for you at my friend's coffee house."

Hunter laughed, and wiped off the blood on his face with his sleeve. "Sure, mom, I'll work at some coffee place, until you think I'm not making enough and get me to hustle again." he spat before brushing past her and stalking off down the hall.

Hunter slammed his door behind him before pulling open the drawers of his dresser and stuffing the clothes back into his bag that lay open on his bed. As soon as he had everything packed he zipped it up and carried it out the door and down the hall before bolting out the door. He didn't hear his mother inside the apartment as he shut the door quietly and started off down the stairwell and out onto the street.

He set the suitcase down and started to roll it behind him as he took off for the nearest bus stop. He had a pretty good idea where he was in the city and decided to use the change in his pocket to get him as close to Liberty Ave. as possible.

Hunter stepped off the bus a couple blocks away from Ben and Michael's apartment with a sigh. The ride had given him time to think about the day's events. Everything had happened so fast—the court, the argument with his mom—everything was a blur. One thing about the day was that he learned that his home was with Ben and Michael.

He started off down the street, familiar with the area that he had worked when he was hustling. Since coming to terms with his new life with Ben and Michael, he hadn't been out at night too much and hadn't seen any of the boys he worked with.

He rolled his suitcase onto the sidewalk as he came up to a group of hustlers. He gritted his teeth and kept his eyes down as he recognized some of the group members he used to have run-ins with over clients. He passed them, hoping they wouldn't recognize him, but with no such luck.

"Hey boys, look who it is!" He heard from his left and sped up. "It's that little shit who used to take my clients."

Hunter felt a hand on his shoulder as he was spun around to face a small group of hustlers. "Where you been, man? Haven't seen you out lately."

"I don't hustle any more. Not that it's any of your fucking business." Hunter snapped.

The one who was asking him looked him over before taking a step closer. "Well, well, well, look who thinks he's better than us now that someone's taken him in?"

"Fuck off." Hunter spat before turning to walk away.

Someone grabbed him and pulled him back, and he pulled away from them, facing the group that had grown since he arrived. "You come here thinkin' you're better than all of us, huh? You lookin' for a fight, boy?"

Hunter rolled his eyes. "I said fuck off, man. I don't want to start anything."

The guy glared at him before throwing the first punch which sent Hunter stumbling back. "Business is slow tonight and I think we all outta let off a little steam, eh boys?" the leader asked, and the others agreed.

"Fuck," Hunter hissed as he was grabbed and kneed in the gut. He should have known that these guys would have started something. Barely a night used to go by without some sort of fight between the other boys over steeling customers, and the slow nights were worse when all the hustlers were frustrated and easily worked up.

Hunter struggled but he knew that there wasn't much he could do against the handful of boys that had joined in.

**Second part should be up fairly soon! I hope you guys like this story, it's my first Queer as Folk fanfiction! **

**Please review!**


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